The idea that we should eat three meals a day is surprisingly modern. But is this the healthiest way to eat? Scientists urge us to consider when we should and shouldn’t eat and when we shouldn’t. What is BBC Future?. Best of BBC Future: Future of the Future?
Intermittent fasting is more in line with how our bodies have evolved
It gives the body a break so it’s able to store food and get energy to where it needs to be, and trigger the mechanism to release energy from our body stores.
- Fasting could also improve our glycaemic response
- Having a smaller blood glucose increase allows you to store less fat in the body
Some evidence suggests we should wait an hour or two after waking up before eating breakfast.
The healthiest way to eat throughout the day is to have two or three meals, with a long fasting window overnight, to not eat too early or too late in the day, and to consume more calories earlier on in the morning
- However, it is important to not specify the best times to eat.
When it comes to how many meals we deem normal, Charrington-Hollins is seeing change on the horizon.
Long-term, we’ll be reducing back to a light meal then a main meal, depending on what happens work-wise. Our working hours will be the driving force.
Wouldn’t one meal a day leave us feeling hungry?
David Levitsky, professor at Cornell University, argues that hunger is often a psychological sensation
- Data shows that if you don’t eat breakfast, you’re going to eat fewer calories overall that day
Some people find just one meal a day works best for their body and health
Two to three meals a day is best – with most of your calories consumed earlier in the day
- Eating too early in the morning should be avoided, too, as this wouldn’t give you sufficient time to fast
- Also, eating too soon after waking up works against our circadian rhythm – known as our body clock – which researchers say dictates how the body processes food differently throughout the day
